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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26481283">None Shall Sleep</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_hoe_s/pseuds/t_hoe_s'>t_hoe_s</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Pining, Spock has insomnia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:22:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,439</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26481283</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_hoe_s/pseuds/t_hoe_s</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Spock could feel the eyes of the junior officers on him as he scanned the readouts on the various screens. Finding nothing amiss, he bent to observe the ship’s exterior through the station’s scope.</p>
<p>Then, Spock’s right ear twitched.</p>
<p>Spock snapped upright, surprised. He had experienced this a few times before— it was not uncommon among his people for vestigial muscles in the ears to cause this twitching effect upon the detection of some faint or distant sound, especially one that was reminiscent to the most ancient, primal parts of the Vulcan brain of either potential prey or a potential threat. Perfectly rational, given their ancient ancestors had been a series of predatory, carnivorous species, not entirely unlike the Felidae family of Earth. But since leaving Vulcan, he had yet to find any sound that evoked this response in him.</p>
<p>Until now…"</p>
<p>[Spock hears a mysterious sound from the bridge. It's only logical that he should investigate its source!]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James T. Kirk/Spock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>260</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>None Shall Sleep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>An enormous thank you to my live-in beta reader and best friend, J, for your support, and another enormous thank you to my dear friend, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ienablu/pseuds/ienablu">ienablu</a>, for beta-reading for grammar and all the boring technical stuff. I couldn't have done this without you two!! Thank you for encouraging me to write, even when it's difficult for me. This one's for you two!!</p>
<p>I recommend listening to Nessun Dorma, from Turandot, while reading this piece, as it was inspired by and directly references it! You can find two different versions of it that I quite like, one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHb75oTHOV4">here</a> and the other <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWc7vYjgnTs">here</a>!</p>
<p>Enjoy, dear reader! &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spock started awake, dark eyes flying to the chronometer on the wall. 0347. Nearly halfway through gamma shift. Spock allowed himself the faintest of sighs, eyes now scanning the room in search of what had woken him. It had only been one hour, 13 minutes, 52 seconds since his meditation had finally given way to sleep, and though sleep was often elusive for him, once he had achieved it, he rarely woke spontaneously. That was to say… something was not as it should be.</p><p>Arching his back to stretch it and cracking his neck, Spock rose from his futon and crossed to where his dressing robe hung beside the mirror. He paused briefly, running his hands absently over the dark blue garment made of a loosely woven, breathable cloth— it was one of the few items he’d brought with him from Vulcan when he joined Starfleet. His fingers stilled when they found the delicate, pink waterlilies that had been carefully hand-embroidered into the neckline of the garment by his mother. Donning it to cover his bare chest as he slipped from his room on D-deck and entered the turbolift, he requested the bridge, and the lift engaged.</p><p>A moment later, Spock stepped wordlessly onto the bridge. Lieutenant sh’Vrella, who had been left in command for the night, sat in the captain’s chair, sipping a cup of coffee and looking bored. She looked up when Spock entered, her eyes going wide. She immediately leapt to her feet and nearly shouted, “FIRST OFFICER ON THE BRIDGE!”</p><p>Spock winced at the jarring sound, raising one hand to convey that she should return to her post and crossing to the science console. It was unmanned this shift, as it usually was during the so-called ‘nightwatch’— unless there was some specific reason to station an officer on the bridge, the gamma shift science officers preferred to do their work from the various labs and observation stations scattered throughout the vessel. Spock could feel the eyes of the junior officers on him as he scanned the readouts on the various screens. Finding nothing amiss, he bent to observe the ship’s exterior through the station’s scope.</p><p>Then, Spock’s right ear twitched.</p><p>Spock snapped upright, surprised. He had experienced this a few times before— it was not uncommon among his people for vestigial muscles in the ears to cause this twitching effect upon the detection of some faint or distant sound, especially one that was reminiscent to the most ancient, primal parts of the Vulcan brain of either potential prey or a potential threat. Perfectly rational, given their ancient ancestors had been a series of predatory, carnivorous species, not entirely unlike the Felidae family of Earth. But since leaving Vulcan, he had yet to find any sound that evoked this response in him.</p><p>Until now…</p><p>Looking around, it was clear to him that no one else had heard whatever sound his system was responding to with such urgency. Or, at least, no one else was <em>reacting</em> to the sound— on the contrary, they had all returned their attention to their respective stations. Most were trying too hard to appear busy due to his presence on the bridge, but a few simply stared, eyes glazed and coffees going cold in their hands, at the screens and various controls before them. This was as he would have expected: it was well known that Vulcan hearing was far superior to most other known sapient species of this galaxy.</p><p>And then his ears twitched again, in unison this time. <em>Fascinating. </em></p><p>Without a sound other than the slight <em>swish </em>of his robe and the <em>hiss </em>of the doors to the lift, Spock turned and swept from the room. Moments later, the turbolift opened onto B-deck. Spock stepped out, cocking his head to one side in an effort to more clearly identify the source of the sound. Poking his head quickly into each of the rooms on this floor in turn, he swiftly realized its source could not be on this floor— it seemed to float through the ventilation system, rhythmically rattling out through the grates of the Captain’s office and ready room, along with fresh air from the carbon dioxide scrubbers. Returning to the turbolift, Spock headed to the next deck to continue his search.</p><p>When the doors to the turbolift slid open once again, it was immediately apparent this deck could not be the source of the sound he was hearing, either— Mr. Sulu and Mr. Chekov were seated here in the officer’s dining area, Sulu laughing and cheering Chekov on as he inserted a pair of spoons into his nose and pretended to be a sehlat. The pair made such a racket that the sound was almost entirely drowned out. Spock felt his lips purse slightly and granted himself a silent <em>huff </em>through his nose; he could only trust the rest of the ship would be as calm and quiet as usual, or he would never satisfy his curiosity.</p><p>The turbolift took only 3.476 seconds to arrive on D-deck; as expected, this deck was still, as it usually was (especially during the gamma shift, when the <em>Enterprise</em>’s senior officers were generally off-duty and asleep). He stepped out of the lift and turned left, gliding swiftly down the nearly silent hallway encircling this deck and pausing briefly outside the doors of each of the senior’s officer’s quarters. Over the slight hum from the ship’s engines and various mechanics concealed inside of the bulkheads, the sound was slightly louder here. It had taken on an almost rhythmic quality now. <em>What </em>was <em>that?</em></p><p>When Spock reached his own door, it hissed open as he approached. Cocking his head to the side as he deliberated briefly, he decided it would be prudent to investigate as much of the ship as he could, and, although it had only been several minutes since he had left his room, a second data point here might provide him with information he might not otherwise obtain. Nodding once, he turned and took a few silent steps into his quarters, the door softly whooshing closed behind him.</p><p>As on B-deck, he could hear the sound filtering almost imperceptibly through the ventilation system here: <em>music. </em>He silently berated himself for not realizing it sooner. Of <em>course</em> it was music, and Earth music, by the sound of it— he recognized the unique quality created by horsehair being pulled across steel strings, and the lyrics… <em>what language was that…?</em> He couldn’t be sure, but he was certain it was human. This was not a surprise to Spock— the majority of the <em>Enterprise</em>’s crew was human, after all. What <em>was </em>surprising was how… <em>enticing</em> he found the music. He’d sampled plenty of Earth music in his time— his mother had insisted on playing some of her favorites around their home during his childhood, and although Sarek had shaken his head and feigned disapproval, every member of the S’chn T’gai household could tell from the poorly concealed twinkle in his eye the admiration and fondness he had for his wife’s ‘illogical human antics’— but never had Spock heard <em>anything</em>, let alone <em>Earth music</em>, that made his ears <em>vibrate </em>in resonance like this before. He found it… rather unsettling. He was familiar with the fact that humans often described reacting emotionally to music, but he’d never thought that <em>he—</em></p><p>Spock shook his head sharply, as if to rid it of that train of thought. He redirected himself to a more pressing question— why had he not heard this music through the vents before he had left his room for the bridge? If it was not this that had woken him… what had?</p><p>Turning on his heel, Spock marched from the room. He’d find no more answers here, and if this was Earth music, as it appeared, he ought to increase the pace of his search: the average piece of earth music was only 4.167 minutes long, and it had now been 2.486 minutes since he began his search, meaning he may have less than 1.681 minutes to find its source before it ended, and if that happened, he may <em>never </em>know what it was…</p><p>He paused briefly just beyond the threshold of his door, considering how best to proceed. His left ear twitched sharply as the music swelled slightly— <em>that way. </em>Picking up his pace, Spock hastened down the hall to the opening of the nearest turboshaft. He was shocked he hadn’t thought of this earlier. Surely this method of travel would be much more efficient—rather than requiring he stop on every deck to search, the open passageways of the turboshaft would allow for sound to travel more freely, only requiring him to step out onto levels that seemed likely candidates for the source of the sound.</p><p>Resolutely, he began his descent, catching strange looks from the few crew members that walked the hall at this hour as he passed E- and F-decks. The sound continued to be louder below him, and so he ignored their questioning glances and continued on.</p><p>As he reached G-deck, the sound emanating from this level seemed louder, but also… sourceless? Confused? Frustration mounting, Spock walked as quickly as was appropriate through the hallways of this deck, turning his head quickly this way and that, trying to find somewhere, <em>anywhere</em> that the music seemed louder than elsewhere in this maze of various science labs, transporter rooms, and crew quarters. He stumbled through a doorway and stopped when the music cut out as the door hissed shut after him.</p><p>“Need somethin’, Mr. Spock?” came the drawl from behind him.</p><p>Spock started, spinning to face the voice. “Dr. McCoy. I did not know you were here.”</p><p>“In my office…?” The doctor lifted one eyebrow and looked pointedly around the room, then back at Spock.</p><p>Spock felt his cheeks warm in what he was sure was a most undignified looking way. He raised his own eyebrow in kind, lifting his chin slightly and pulling himself up to his full height in order to improve the angle at which he glared down at the doctor before replying, “During a gamma shift, Doctor? Shouldn’t you be resting, as you are always pestering myself and the other crew members to do?”</p><p>This time it was Dr. McCoy’s turn to flush and look away sheepishly. Fortunately for Spock, the doctor did not seem in the mood for their usual banter. He turned his gaze back to the PADD that sat before him on his desk, adjusting his reading glasses. “You seen Jim around?”</p><p>“I am afraid not, Doctor,” Spock eyed the door; he did not want to be rude, but he was <em>unbearably</em> eager to return to his search. “I would think that he would be in his quarters, resting, at this hour.”</p><p>McCoy’s head snapped up, glaring daggers at Spock. “You think I didn’t look for him there? I know you think I’m an idiot, Spock, but—”</p><p>“I do not think you are an idiot, Doctor,” Spock interrupted softly, leveling his gaze back to the doctor’s weary face.</p><p>McCoy glanced down at his hands again, fidgeting with his PADD’s stylus a moment before responding, “Well, if you see him, tell him that I—”</p><p>Spock did not catch the end of the doctor’s request, as he was already out the door and down the hall, back toward the turboshaft. He hadn’t been able to restrain himself any longer— it simply wasn’t logical to stand about, idly exchanging pleasantries with the ship’s CMO, when there were pressing questions that needed answering! There almost seemed to be something <em>leading </em>him now, some type of invisible and intangible force, tugging at his ribs near his fluttering heart, racing violently even for a Vulcan. Some part of his mind retained a strong enough grip on logic to find this alarming, but to the rest of his insatiable mind, it only served to fuel his burning curiosity.</p><p>Spock thundered loudly down the turboshaft once more, attracting more sideways glances as he passed H-deck in his race to find this music’s source. He had just passed the four-minute mark of his search, and as his mind continued to count up the seconds, he was gripped with an urgency, a <em>desperation</em>, unlike any he had yet experienced. Idly, he thought that the human phrase “like a man possessed” likely described his behavior most aptly at the present moment. He no longer cared— his need to satisfy his curiosity had long since surpassed his desire to keep up appearances.</p><p>When he arrived on I-deck, it was abundantly obvious this level <em>must</em> be the source of the music— the strings swelled dramatically, reverberating off the bulkheads of the empty forward cargo hold (Cargo Hold 5, if he wasn’t mistaken,) where he stood. A frightening prickling sensation he’d never experienced before stung at his eyes, and he froze, overwhelmed with the beauty and intensity of the music he could nearly <em>see </em>it was so clear. The vocalist’s triumphant cadenza reverberated through his ribcage, and he felt faint. The lyrics tore through him, as though he were so many scattered atoms in a transporter beam:</p><p>“<em>Sulla tua bocca lo dirò </em></p><p>
  <em>Quando la luce splenderà! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ed il mio bacio scioglierà </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Il silenzio che ti fa mia!”</em>
</p><p>And then all at once, it was silent. Spock felt his knees buckle in the sudden absence of sound. And then—</p><p>“Mr. Spock?”</p><p>His instincts improved his response time dramatically, for which he was grateful. Spock snapped to attention, his eyes flying upward toward the observation deck above the floor he stood on.</p><p>
  <em>“Captain?”</em>
</p><p>A grin split the younger man’s face, and his face seemed to glow, reflecting back the harsh halogen lights of the cargo bay.</p><p>“Are you alright, Spock?”</p><p>Spock cleared his throat once, quietly. “Of course, Captain. Why do you ask?”</p><p>Rather than answer, the captain swung one leg over the railing in front of him, then the other, and in one swift movement, he dropped to the floor 5 meters below.</p><p>“<em>Captain!” </em>Spock couldn’t pretend he was able to keep the concern from his voice; he began to move to help his captain up, but before he could respond the captain was already rising from the crouch he’d landed in to protect his knees. He crossed towards Spock, and, without meeting his gaze, tugged the sleeve of his uniform up over this thumb, swiping it swiftly across Spock’s left cheekbone. It came away with a drop of moisture darkening it near the cuff.</p><p>“You’ve, ah, got something on your face.”</p><p>Horrified, Spock was silent.</p><p>“You sure you’re alright, Spock?”</p><p>Spock couldn’t meet his captain’s inquisitive gaze. Instead, he closed his eyes, inhaling slowly and deeply through his nose, and silently berated himself for his lack of control, as well as the shame that bloomed low in his belly in response. And there was something else, tangled in with the shame, something that had felt like a blow to the chest when his captain’s covered thumb had brushed his cheek… <em>Surak forgive me!</em> <em>I am in control of my emotions, I am in control of my emotions...</em></p><p>“What are you doing down here?”</p><p>“I could inquire the same of you, Captain.”</p><p>“I asked first,” the captain quipped. Spock could hear the laughter in his voice.</p><p>Taking one last deep breath to steady himself, Spock opened his eyes and finally met his superior’s blue-eyed gaze. “I heard music from the bridge and found myself curious of its source.”</p><p>“Ah,” the captain replied, nodding. He turned and paced a few feet from Spock, seemingly restless, before turning to ask, “Everything alright?”</p><p>“Sir?”</p><p>“On the bridge?”</p><p>“Yes, of course.”</p><p>The captain’s balled fists found his hips as he glanced towards the floor and pulled a face, obviously confused. Spock could anticipate his next question, and quickly shifted the focus of the conversation away from himself.</p><p>“And you, sir?”</p><p>“Hm?” The captain’s head shot up, still wearing the scowl of a moment ago and chewing his lip.</p><p>“What are you doing here at this hour, Captain?”</p><p>“Spock, we’re off duty— how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jim?”</p><p>“Jim.” Spock’s voice was barely above a whisper. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“Reports, Spock.”</p><p>Spock felt his eyebrow twitch. <em>Reports? </em>“Is there something wrong with the office and quarters that have been provided for you?”</p><p>“Why would there be something wrong with my quarters?”</p><p>Spock cocked his head to the right a few millimeters and felt his left eyebrow shoot towards his hairline. “Captain—”</p><p>“<em>Jim, </em>Spock—”</p><p>“—<em>Jim, </em>I fail to see why you would wish to work <em>anywhere</em> other than your office or your quarters, much less the observation deck of Cargo Bay 5. That is, unless there is something about your accommodations that is unsatisfactory?”</p><p>“Ohhh!” The captain tossed his head back, laughing. “Acoustics, Spock.”</p><p>Spock stood motionless, blinking at his captain, as he tried to find some logic or meaning in the man’s explanation. After 2.247 seconds, the captain began laughing again, harder this time, doubling over partway. Spock waited an additional 4.638 seconds for Jim’s laughter to die down so he could speak again.</p><p>“I’m hiding from Bones,” the captain finally explained, wiping tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes. “He says I’m due for a physical, but I think he just wants to poke me with hyposprays. I thought this might be a fun place to hide— when it’s empty like this, music sounds incredible.” Jim looked up at Spock again. “You shoulda seen your face, Spock, it was like when a computer bugs out,” he finished, giggling again anew.</p><p>“Jim. To what were you listening?”</p><p>“What, that? Opera, Spock. It’s called, uh…”</p><p>“<em>Nessun Dorma</em>,” Spock interjected, surprising even himself. A faint memory of his mother surfaced: she sang softly to him in Italian as she ran a dermal regenerator over his split knuckles and bruised cheekbone, pretending not to notice his tears as she soothed him. Jim’s eyes followed as Spock’s right hand returned to the waterlilies that traced a line from his throat to his heart, hammering in his side.</p><p>“Yeah, from <em>Turandot</em>. Why’d you ask?”</p><p>“I do not know; I did not know that I knew its name.”</p><p>“It’s one of my favorite arias; my mom says that my dad used to take her to the opera before my brother was born. <em>Turandot</em> was his favorite, apparently.”</p><p>“’<em>All'alba vincerò</em>’: ‘At dawn, I will win.’ It is a fitting piece for you, Cap— Jim.”</p><p>“You think so?” Jim looked up at him through those dark lashes of his, beaming. Spock’s heart began to flutter uncomfortably again.</p><p>“Indeed,” Spock murmured, trying not to look at his friend’s mouth.</p><p>“Would you, uh, like to join me? I can put it back on, you may find it helps relax you.” The man paused a moment, biting his lip. His brow furrowed, and he suddenly appeared very interested in his shoes. At last, he added, “I know sleep can be difficult for you.”</p><p>Spock blinked in surprise and felt his face flush again. “I would enjoy that very much… Jim.” Jim beamed at him in response. Spock’s ribs <em>ached</em>.</p><p>Together, they climbed the ladder back to the observation deck, where Jim led them to a corner in which he’d piled some cushions, presumably taken from his quarters, with a PADD set aside on one of them. Jim took a seat on the cushion beside it, gesturing for Spock to follow suit.</p><p>“I’m, uh, sorry if I woke you coming down here. I know you’ve woken before from even small sounds on D-deck, maybe we should talk to maintenance about soundproofing—”</p><p>Spock shook his head, raising a hand to reassure his captain that it was alright. Nodding in silent understanding, Jim instructed the computer to begin the opera over again as Spock made himself comfortable… or as comfortable as he could allow himself to be, alone with his captain, and sitting so close together like this. Spock folded his hands carefully in his lap, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to steady himself. Beside him, he heard Jim pick up the PADD and resume working.</p><p>Turning his focus to his breath, Spock began reciting the teachings of Surak silently, and slowly slipped back into meditation. Despite himself, he began to feel more and more relaxed as the music continued, and his mind started to wander, flitting back through memories of home, of his mother.</p><p>Spock fell asleep listening to the captain’s off-key humming, feeling warm and content in a way that he had not in many years.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this little fic!</p>
<p>If you didn't want to navigate away to translate that block of lyrics, in English, it translates as, "On your mouth, I will tell it/ when the light shines./And my kiss will dissolve/ the silence that makes you mine!"</p>
<p>If you liked this and want to see more, you can subscribe to my account and get emails when I post stuff. You can also come hang out with me on tumblr at <a href="https://t-hoe-s.tumblr.com/">@t-hoe-s</a>, or message me on discord (commander space cadet#2985)! I love making new friends in the fandom, and I love hearing from y'all (like, I know every writer says this, but we really do *live* for your comments lol), so if you liked it, please leave me a kudos, and if you *really* liked it, drop me a comment and say hello!</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks so much for reading! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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